What does the Kairidis Amendment provide for issuing work permits to illegal immigrants?

First details on the amendment to the law of the Ministry of Labor and Social Security on the “occupational insurance reform”, which allows migrants to obtain a one-time residence permit for work under certain conditions, adopted in Parliament on December 19, 2023.

The Kairidis Amendment concerns mainly migrant agricultural workers, gives the possibility of granting a residence permit to immigrants from third countries and members of their families who resided in Greece before November 30 without the necessary legal documents and have completed a period of at least three consecutive years of residence in the country.

The residence permit is one-time and provides for:

Providing a residence permit for work to migrants who have been in the country for at least 3 years before November 30. Strict condition: a certificate from the employer is required, and if for any reason the dependent employment relationship is terminated, the permit is revoked.

According to representatives of the relevant ministry:

• “It introduces increased penalties for employers and hosted foreign workers who violate the conditions of placement, as well as better management, expediting the return of foreigners not eligible for international protection, and strengthening the fight against migrant trafficking.”
• “This contributes to the process of strengthening the workforce in our country, ensuring public order and security.”
• “This is a one-time, one-year measure and does not in any way change established legal immigration provisions as they currently exist or as they will be shaped by the new immigration code.”
• “It is part of a wider five-step strategy” and “affects approximately 30,000 applicants in total.” Of this number, the scheme “will include those who can be accepted into the labor market and those who are necessary to meet the needs of the national economy.”

The amendment comes into force from the moment of its publication in the Government Gazette.

https://rua.gr/news/migrantskij-front/59712-zakon-o-legalizatsii-nelegalnykh-immigrantov-prinyat-bolshinstvom-deputatov-parlamenta.html

Athens News will continue to publish details and commentary on this law as it is promulgated.

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